Summery :
The Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk is a stealth attack aircraft that was developed by Lockheed's secretive Skunk Works division and operated by the United States Air Force.
This F-117A (#83-0815) was one of 59 they built and assigned to 410th Flight Test Squadron at Groom Lake AKA 'Area 51'.
On October 14th 1987, this aircraft, the call sign 'BURNR 54', was simulating combat in Europe at late evening. During the exercises, the procedures and radio transmissions were normal. Visibility was clear, but there was no moon that night. And there were no lights out to help the pilot to distinguish the ground
It was just 40 minutes into a single-ship sortie when the plane crashed into the gently sloping terrain. The cause was determined to be spatial disorientation.
The pilot Major Michael C. Stewart apparently made no attempt to eject, and was killed instantly.
Actual crash site is inside of NTTR, but the memorial was built just outside of NTTR boundaries about 6 miles North of crash site.
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